Bio

Dr. Tara Harrison graduated from Michigan State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine with her DVM degree. Afterward, she earned a Masters of Preventive Veterinary Medicine degree at the University of California-Davis, where she worked with Dr. Linda Munson as a post-doctoral fellow in the contraceptive advisory group. She did veterinary internships at Toledo Zoo and Wildlife Safari. She then spent ten years working as a veterinarian and curator at Potter Park Zoo and an additional year as the Director of Animal Health at Potter Park Zoo. Dr. Harrison was also an Assistant Professor at Michigan State University during that time. She then went back to UC Davis and was an Assistant Professor in UC Davis’ Department of Medicine and Epidemiology and a veterinarian at the Sacramento Zoo. She is currently an Assistant Professor at North Carolina State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine Exotic Animal Medicine Service. She is board certified in the American College of Zoological Medicine and the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine.

AFFILIATIONS

AVMA, AAZV, WDA, ACZM, ACVPM, ECZM

CERTIFICATIONS

Doctor of Veterinary Medicine
Masters of Preventive Veterinary Medicine
Diplomate of the American College of Zoological Medicine
Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine

Area(s) of Expertise

GLOBAL HEALTH, INFECTIOUS DISEASES, VETERINARY CANCER CARE
Neoplasia and its treatments in exotic and zoological animals

Publications

• Abstract 7639: Primate comparative oncology reveal humans' unique cancer susceptibility , Cancer Research (2026)
• Comparative Oncology , Veterinary Clinics of North America Exotic Animal Practice (2026)
• Comparative Oncology: Evaluation of Oncology Across Nondomestic Species , (2026)
• Survey of Factors Affecting Torpor in Lesser Hedgehog Tenrecs (Echinops telfairi) , Journal of Zoological and Botanical Gardens (2026)
• Wildlife Movement Models Can Inform Large, Ground-Mounted Photovoltaic Solar Energy Siting and Design: A Case Study and Research Agenda , Case Studies in the Environment (2026)
• Amino acid profiles for red wolves (Canis rufus) managed under human care are significantly different compared to the profiles of domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) , American Journal of Veterinary Research (2025)
• Data and code from: Wildlife movement models can inform large, ground-mounted photovoltaic solar energy siting and design: A case study and research agenda , Open MIND (2025)
• Immune-cancer analyses across mammals reveal a potential trophic level and platelet-linked tradeoff between cancer and trauma mortality , bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) (2025)
• The relationship between diet, plasma glucose, and cancer prevalence across vertebrates , Nature Communications (2025)
• Approaches and methods to study wildlife cancer , Journal of Animal Ecology (2024)

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